


FF# 13: Silent as a Grave

by CJ_fics



Series: Olicity Flash Fic Challenge [9]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Post-date angst, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-03 10:49:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2848202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CJ_fics/pseuds/CJ_fics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicity always, always made a sound. Whether she was babbling on and on about things, singing along to a song that was playing through her earphones, reacting with snorts to whatever she was reading on her tablet, tapping away at her keyboard as she hacked into another one of those Federal databases, mumbling to her computers (her babies, she said) about how good they were behaving, her high heels clacking as she walked, Felicity Smoak emitted noise.</p>
<p>Now she was completely silent.</p>
            </blockquote>





	FF# 13: Silent as a Grave

As he looked down at her still form, Oliver realised that Felicity’s noise was something that he had learned to take for granted. To need. To crave. To want. As a regular part of his daily and nightly life.

Felicity always, always made a sound. Whether she was babbling on and on about things, singing along to a song that was playing through her earphones, reacting with snorts to whatever she was reading on her tablet, tapping away at her keyboard as she hacked into another one of those Federal databases, mumbling to her computers (her babies, she said) about how good they were behaving, her high heels clacking as she walked, Felicity Smoak emitted noise.

Now she was completely silent. And bloody. Lying there in the lair’s med table, as Diggle and Roy gathered medical supplies for her, and as he stood there, sobbing silently. He couldn’t stand the absence of noise, so he punched the area over her head to make his own noise. He realised then that it wasn’t the lack of sound that he hated, it was the absence of her noise that he couldn’t stand.

In his head, it was all noise. There was wailing beast screaming out loud, angry that his mate was harmed. There was his most desperate self, mumbling incoherent words, begging to anyone who could hear him to make Felicity fine, bargaining with the powers that be for her to be safe and unharmed. _Please. Not her. Do anything. Stop being with her. Keep her safe. Avenge her. Kill anyone who hurt her. She will be OK. Felicity. Felicity. Felicity. Please. Please. Please._

Outwardly, he didn’t make a sound.

Diggle pushed him away from his post at the table and started looking her over, triaging her injuries from the most extreme injury to the ones that only needed a bandaid.

"Oliver," Diggle called to him in a grave voice, "She will be fine."

Oliver looks at Diggle, his most trusted brother-in-arms, daring to believe his words, and says nothing. He stands at the head of the table, observing in silence.

Diggle gives him a single nod and addresses Roy, “Prep the needle and thread, Roy”

As his teammates work on mending Felicity’s silent and still body, Oliver removes himself from the situation, thinking back to earlier that evening when there was so much hope.

The first thing he thought when he saw her dressed up for their date was that he was the luckiest man in the universe. The second was that despite everything wrong and bad that he did in his life, pre, during and post-island, somehow, somewhere, some way, he must have done something really good to be able to have this moment where Felicity stood before him, smiling at him like he made her happy, wearing the sexiest goddamned red dress, and looking confident. Then Clapton’s _Lady in Red_ started playing in his head, and he thought that he would add some slow dancing to their date tonight. It didn’t matter that he hated dancing, he would take her out dancing tonight and hold her close.

"Oliver," she says, still smiling, "Are we going to stand here all night or are actually going to get this date started?"

In response, he steps closer to her and pecks her cheek, “You look lovely, Felicity.” He reaches for her hand to lead her to his car.

"Starting this date, then," she blushes but keeps smiling.

He held her hand on the drive to the restaurant, keeping the conversation light. No Arrow or QC business talk tonight. Tonight, this date, was going to be the start of the two of them getting to know each other beyond their common work. He will open up to her in a way that he’s never laid himself bare. He was going to get her to open up to him about the topics that escape her usual babbling. Her family. Her MIT days. Her dating history. The first time she built a computer from scratch. Her hopes and dreams. Her insecurities and the things she wished she could change about herself. Her friends. The TV shows and films she loved. Growing up in Vegas. Things she found funny and sad and anger-inducing. Anything and everything about her, he was going to know intimately, starting tonight. And in turn, he would let her know everything and anything about him. _Starting tonight._

Then the night, the one that they were just beginning, turned into hell. There was an explosion. It hit her harder than it did him. He vaguely remembers carrying her away from the restaurant and running towards the lair with her in his arms. He must have called Diggle at some point because Diggle and Roy were waiting for them in the lair as soon as they arrived. He somewhat remembers being thankful that the lair was five minutes on foot from the restaurant. But mostly, he remembers the silence after the explosion. Her silence. His own. His mind had shut down then, only focusing on getting her to safety.

It was after he punched the med table that the sound in his head returned. Now there was no reprieve. It was chaos in there.

He vowed to never make another sound until she did. And if she didn’t recover from this? He knew he was going to exile himself somewhere again and never speak a word ever again.

"Oliver," a faint whisper drew him from his thoughts.

Suddenly there’s an cacophony of sound as his mind quiets. _Felicity!_

Felicity groans as she tries to stand up, Diggle holds her down to the table. Roy rushes to help with, “Felicity, you’re awake! Thank god!”.

Oliver rushes to her side, pushes Diggle away from his position. He hears medical supplies clattering to the floor as Diggle and Roy step away from the med table. Oliver reaches for the hand she tries to test her forehead for injuries with.

"Owww! What happened?" she asked, her voice still faint. "One minute we’re having dinner and the next we’re in the lair? What?" she mumbles.

"There was bomb in your restaurant, Felicity," Diggle responds, smiling at her in relief.

"Yeah, the SCPD is still trying to figure out what happened exactly," Roy adds. He, too, is wearing a relieved smile.

As this happened, Oliver gently runs his hands over her, checking her injuries, making sure she’s really awake and that she’s fine.

"Oliver?" she murmurs, reaching up to cover the hand that’s holding her face tenderly. "I’m OK."

He nods, still running his eyes over her, not quite believing that she’s still here. And that she’s making the sounds that he’s become dependent on.

"Would you believe me, if I told you that this wasn’t the worst date I’ve ever had? Remind me to tell you about that guy who licked everything on the table."

He chuckles, no longer silent. He strokes a finger down her uninjured cheek and breaks his silence for good, “Felicity”.

**Author's Note:**

> Original post: http://outoftheclosetshipper.tumblr.com/post/95087082688/ff-13-silent-as-a-grave


End file.
